Contract Creation

Good contracts make great relationships. Learn how having the right contracts helps your business grow.

The Basics

Every business is built on contracts: contracts with customers, contracts with partners, contracts with employees and freelancers, contracts with service providers. A written contract gives you the assurances that these key relationships are protected and that everyone’s expectations are met. A good contract helps to defuse disputes and to allow work to proceed smoothly.

Depending upon the type of work that you do, you will need different types of contracts. A freelance photographer will have different needs than someone operating a restaurant. By working with an attorney you can learn which contracts you need and which contracts you might be able to hold off on.

How We Help

We focus on the contracts that creative businesses need. Whether it’s an agreement between founders or with independent contractors, we have you covered.

Independent Contractor Agreements

Whether you are being hired as an independent contractor or hiring a contractor, we can provide the right agreements. Our independent contractor agreements help everyone to know what work needs to be done, when and how it’s paid for, and who owns what. That goes a long way towards making a smooth relationship.

Licensing Agreements

If you own intellectual property or want permission to use someone else’s, we can help you create agreements that work. Whether licensing music, art, writing, brands or inventions, we can work with you to create licensing agreements that help you seize opportunities and protect your interests.

Service Agreements

Any business that offers services to clients should have a services agreement. These help set the terms of the transaction and give you the means to control outcomes by determining payment schedules, approval processes, project timelines, and more.

Art Transactions Agreements

We support the transactional needs of artistic businesses, including artists, designers, illustrators, art galleries, to name few. So if you’re looking for public art contracts, art sales agreements, licensing agreements, gallery agreements (or anything else!) we have you covered.

Entertainment-Related Agreements

Film production and distribution contracts. Music licensing agreements. Book publishing contracts. Shopping Agreements. Option Agreements. These are just some of the many entertainment-related agreements and transactions we assist our clients with.

Technology Agreements

We’re experienced in drafting, analyzing, reviewing and negotiating various technology agreements. Whether you are setting up a website for your business, developing a mobile application, licensing your software, or acquiring third party technology, we can help.

Sales/Purchase Agreements

Whether you’re the buyer or the seller, you’ll want an agreement that details the pricing, ordering process, warranties, manufacturing terms, delivery, among other important terms for the sale and purchase of good or products.

Partnership/Founder Agreements

When two or more people agree to go into business together they’ll need to clarify their rights and responsibilities. We help you set up agreements that will help you avoid conflicts, misunderstandings and disappointments that can doom the otherwise promising venture.

Confidentiality Agreements

Sharing confidential information is a common part of business relationships. Confidentiality agreements can help protect your information in these situations by defining the scope of that the sharing, create binding obligations on the partie, and provide enforcement mechanisms if the agreement is breached.

Got Questions?

Like what you’re seeing but don’t know where or how to start? That’s where we come in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of having attorneys create my contracts?

Good contracts are central to any business. In essence, they help you set the terms of the business deal and give you the means to control outcomes. An attorney can advise you on the right type of agreements that are suited to your business and make sure that you understand how to use your contract as a tool to grow your business.

For many common types of contracts, we offer a variety of reasonable flat-fee options.

Can’t I just use a template or a DIY service?

Templates and DIY services are like scalpels and WebMD. Great tools, and great for educating, but not what you want to use when you are serious about solving a medical problem. You get what you pay for.

We wanted to give you the benefits of a DIY service – affordability, ease of use; and we wanted to combine that with the legal expertise you need to make sure that everything is done right and suits your business.

What will it be like working with an attorney to create my agreements?

When we begin working together, we will send you a set of questions about how your prefer to do business. Once you have had a chance to respond, we will set a time for you to speak with us so that we can make sure that we fully understand your legal needs.

After that, we will draft your creative services agreement. We will also send you a helpful guide to your creative services agreement so that you can get the most value out of it.

What if I need to use the contract more than once?

We always draft contracts as templates for our clients. Meaning, they can be repurposed for multiple transactions with different parties. We also include annotations in the templates we draft so that the clients understand all the different sections and language.

What if I just need a quick review of an existing contract?

Our Creators Legal Program is an affordable way for clients to review their contracts. For only $95/month, we will review your document and go over it with you, alerting you to any red flags or things that could be improved in your favor. The Creators’ Legal Program is a great choice if you are someone who gets contracts sent to your from time to time and want to make sure you get a lawyer’s take before making any commitments.

A lot of contracts are full of legalese and hard to read. Are yours?

No. Our contracts are written in plain English so that you and your clients understand what you are agreeing to. We don’t use heretofores or any other nonsense like that. A contract is an agreement between people; everyone wins if everyone understands.

How long does it take for Counsel for Creators to draft my contracts?

In most cases, we can draft your contract within a week of you asking for us to do it. However, depending upon the complexity, we might need more or less time.

Are your contract creation services available in my state?

We offer our contract creation services to California businesses. If you live anywhere else, join our mailing list (to the right) to find out when our services will be available in your state.

Will you help me negotiate the contract with the other party?

Yes we can! We have an extensive track record of negotiating deals for our clients that ultimately meet their goals and expectations. We have negotiated contracts for our clients with everyone from brand new startups to some of the largest companies in the world. We know how to speak to lawyers, and we can do it for you.

Would it be cheaper to just draft the contract myself and send it to you for review?

In our experience this always ends up being the more expensive option. Having our own built-in processes and documents means we can be more efficient and save time (and money) for the client. Oftentimes the templates clients bring to us aren’t good enough and we end up taking additional time fixing simple issues before starting the drafting process.

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Did You Know?

Due to popular demand, we created the Creator’s Legal Program.
This program empowers creators that need ongoing legal advice and documents on a monthly basis for $95/month. You can cancel anytime you like.

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Business Setup

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Creator’s Legal Program

Why Us?

When we say that we are an innovative law firm, we mean it.

We have reengineered and redesigned the law firm experience for the 21st century. By leveraging cutting-edge technology we are able to make legal services more cost-effective and accessible. That means that we are able to take a holistic approach to our legal practice and offer exactly the right legal services that any creative business needs

As a result, we work with some of the most innovative people in the world.

Whether our clients work in technology, media or the arts, they value our proactive attitude and the fact that we understand their world. From iconic brands to established artists to in-demand software development shops to lauded indie filmmakers, our clients have trusted us to help them protect and grow what they have built or will build.